Hooray!
I don’t mind waiting a bit, I am actually just satisfied knowing they’re working on things. They made a huge mistake, and since it came with so many other changes (like Decks), I can understand how this isn’t as simple as restoring a previous version.
I’ve created a login just to tell you how terrible this design is. I work in digital creative. This design is awful.
Let’s start from the top.
The logo. The old logo was a bit nothing, but it was inoffensive. The new logo is just … I don’t even know. I understand words like “bold” and “eye catching” would have been used in the design rationale and some side by side comparison of how much the icon now stands out. But what is the actual idea? Chunky, loose fit type that looks more at home on the side of a bottle of kombucha that will vanish from shelves in a month. And those colours … wow. It’s like a road sign warning you to stay away. You’d expect a design like this from 99designs
The Mess My biggest complaint with this new design is that it’s not a redesign, it’s a reskin. It’s just a new coat of paint thrown over the old template. Old problems persist and no new ideas are introduced.
The way icons overlap is clumsy. That enormous button at the bottom is a) too bright and dominating, and b) creates a huge mess when other messy, blobby icons slide half behind it. You’d think an app about learning languages would make the content the priority and push the design into a seamless support that doesn’t distract from the experience. But no, we’re all treated to an “in your face, bold design”. Thanks. Yuck.
Brand blanding The design is confused. On one hand we have HEY I’M YELLOW LOOK AT ME HEY HEY HEY LOOK HERE then we have bleh pastelly blues and greens that all look the same. None of the icons are distinct, visual shorthands are gone. It would maybe work if the actual structure of the design were changed, but as a reskin of the old structure it’s clunky and unrefined. All in all it creates an unpleasant user experience. Which leads me to …
Rationale does not make bad design good I’ve seen a lot of Memrise staff saying “we have reasons for doing this” or “we’ll explain more about the why we’ve made the changes” as if explaining a bad design will make it good. It doesn’t. Execution is what explains design to a user. If I need you there to explain it to me, it’s failed. The immediate user response has been swift and negative. That’s your rationale: people do not like your design. No amount of “well we chose the yellow because of XYZ ye olde study group” makes it suddenly accepted. The rationale for the update itself promises a more “grown up” design yet this feels like a free kids app. It’s a visual nightmare of conflicting and odd choices executed poorly.
As for me, I’ve been enjoying and using Memrise every single day for over a year. Since the redesign I haven’t used the app in a week. If I hadn’t renewed my membership just before the update, I’d have cancelled it. It’s not petty protest, it’s that you’ve created a truly difficult to look at design that is so far away from a good user experience in learning a language that I can’t even begin to understand how the design consultancy arrived here. “User testing”? Who? Showing random vox pops on the street the old and new app icons and asking which one is more “memorable” doesn’t make an eye destroying yellow monstrosity a good choice. If this design persists, I’m cancelling. It’s that bad.
So well done team. You misread the play, but users (actual ones) are giving you invaluable feedback. The choice now is do you rework it and save the flock, or persist and damage the experience?
And no, “we understand change can be jarring” or “give it some time and it might grow on you” won’t suddenly make me say “oh now I get it and I love it”.
Can’t wait til the BrandNew design forum gets wind of it.
Even in my graphic design bachelor I have not seen such a poor executed UI/UX by a fellow peer. It’s a sad situation.
“As for me, I’ve been enjoying and using Memrise every single day for over a year. Since the redesign I haven’t used the app in a week.”
Hit the nail on the head. The app is literally painful to use now. I have attempted to open up the app several times in the few weeks since it’s been out (I was beta testing it before the wide rollout apparently) and every time I close it down after a few minutes. It’s not like I’m trying to hate it, it’s just THAT bad. It’s a shame because I used to use it twice a day.
Whoever designed this needs to remember Dieter Rams 10 Principals, specifically the 10th: Good design is as little design as possible.
I find this tweet by Ed Cooke (Memrise founder, https://twitter.com/tedcooke/status/1115641055184080896?s=20) particularly funny: “Thank for sharing. I’d ask you only to give it a couple of days to get used to it, and see how you feel once your eye is in!” - Pretty sure that’s exactly what Steve Jobs said when the original iPhone was released (NOT).
Indeed, it’s an odd mix between “first year student” and “professional making a joke”
My comments on and suggestions for a new icon for both the web and App are here:
Man this is a bad theme really bad
Well said. Hear hear!!!
It was now updated on iPhone/iOS. Ugh, compared with yesterday the experience is, eh, like going to kindergarten or a toy store. As my wife said who works in a toy store, yellow toys sell the least.
One day in the past, I found memrise on the Internet, logged on, started using it without any issues. Why should I wait a couple of days and expect myself “to get used to” the new “design”? Besides, it did not happen.
Yeah, a couple of days has passed, but my eyes still hurt. Literally, even this page is painful and bad for the eyes because of yellow… Erm… Thing at the top.
If I had to guess, and looking at the design consultancy’s other work, I would say it’s got a bit of “junior team” about it. There are some obvious similarities to the BBC kids app they’ve created, but the execution with the new Memrise just lacks finesse. There’s no other way to describe it. There’s a clunkiness and strings of visual clutter that shouldn’t happen with a more experienced team.
I think I know what Steve Jobs would have said about this design – or the physical action he would have taken when he would have seen this on a phone :-).
Yup same here and phone is 8.0. Would have been a victim of the new theme but miraculously google store shows that mine is up to date.
The new design sucks. I want the old one. Is there a place to download the old apk.?
When new word comes I have to scroll down page every single time to read translation. Speaker icon od almost on the hole screen. Guys please fix it because is impractical.
It does not get uglier than this, it’s a total eyesore… really who did they consult, they need to fire them asap it looks ugly and usability has also dropped… My eyes actually hurt when using this! Please bring back the old theme, or allow us to change themes… something…!!!
Wow, it seems they now also changed the favicon. From 
Now that’s one hell of an improvement and shows that there’s geniuses at work! I’d laugh if this wasn’t all so friggin’ sad. Good that they’re caring about a new favicon while leaving everything else in disorder. I’m really starting to loose it.
I totally agree! The microphone icon is waaaaay too big!
So you did not like the idea of representing Memrise with a yellow stain, instead of an “m”? Lol
